THE AGEING POPULATION IS DRIVING THE NEED FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY IN MOROCCO
MOROCCO IS AGEING FASTER THAN EXPECTED
The latest census in 2015 has shown that Morocco’s population is ageing in rates faster than what one thinks. Moroccans aged 60 years and older increased from 1.8 million (4% of the population) in 1990s to 3 million (9.7% of the population) in 2015 and will reach 10 million (25% of the population) in 2050. Decreasing fertility rates and increase in life expectancy are the main reasons for growth in Morocco’s ageing population.
Similar demographic trends are being witnessed in North African countries which reflect improvement in living standards, nutrition, coverage of health care and public health. However, the demographic transition is posing serious economic, societal and health challenges.
Dr Khaled Yassin predicts that the demographic transition is going to have a tremendous and far-reaching impact on the demand and practice of physical therapy in Morocco. “Moroccans are living longer; therefore, the number of patients with musculoskeletal disorders, neurological conditions and chronic diseases is going to increase tremendously. This is going to place extra demands for physical therapy”, Said Dr Yassin.
IMPACT OF AGEING ON THE MUSCULOSKELETAL AND NERVOUS SYSTEMS
Musculoskeletal disorders are most prevalent in the older segments of the population. Dr Yassin explained that ageing takes its toll on the musculoskeletal system. In older ages, the bone becomes more fragile, the cartilages lose resilience, ligaments become less elastic and muscles become weaker and these are all strong risk factors for arthropathies and fractures. Osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis are more prevalent in old ages.
Likewise, the nervous system is affected as well by the ageing process. Ageing is known to be associated with reduction in brain’s blood supply, loss of nerve cells from the brain and spinal cord, slower neurotransmission, impaired clearance of waste products, increased formation of plaques and tangles and deposition of lipofuscin in the nerve tissue. “All these pathophysiologic changes make older persons at higher risk to neurological diseases such as neuropathy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, myopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral stroke, myasthenia gravis and muscular dystrophy”, Said Dr Yassin.
“Common systemic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer are known to be more prevalent in old ages, which may have serious musculoskeletal and nervous complications”, add Dr Yassin.
WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN MOROCCO?
The demand for physical therapy and rehabilitation services of this age group will increase tremendously in Morocco and will continue to be an area of significant growth. More and more physical therapists will be required to ensure minimal access to these services in the country that suffers already severe shortage of physical therapists.
How many physical therapists are required to respond to the expected growth in demand for services? According to Dr Yassin, the supply of physical therapists in Morocco is extremely low. The registered physical therapists in the country are less than one thousand supposedly serving a population of 33 million inhabitants, this gives rise to a ratio of 0.3 per 10000 population. This ratio is 35 times lower than the ratio in the United States for example.
Official statistics of the Department of Labor and Statistics indicate that there are 225 thousand physical therapists (6.4 per 10000 population) and approximately 100 000 physical therapy assistants (3.1 per 10000 population) in the United States in 2014. The total number of physical therapy practitioners in the US is 350 times higher than Morocco, while the population is only 10 times bigger. Morocco will need several thousands of new physical therapists in the next 10 years to guarantee basic rehabilitation services to the population.
Since physical therapists are expected to see older people, they will need to be knowledgeable and skilled in their management. The most effective way to achieve this is the incorporation of a geriatric rehabilitation in the undergraduate curriculum of physical therapy. The College of Health Sciences envisages also to include geriatric rehabilitation among its specialization tracks that will be offered starting from 2021.
The goal is not only to improve knowledge and skills in this important domain, but to also to emphasis proactive approaches towards prevention of impairment and disability, promotion of active lifestyle and multi-disciplinary management of geriatric conditions.
The latest census in 2015 has shown that Morocco’s population is ageing in rates faster than what one thinks. Moroccans aged 60 years and older increased from 1.8 million (4% of the population) in 1990s to 3 million (9.7% of the population) in 2015 and will reach 10 million (25% of the population) in 2050. Decreasing fertility rates and increase in life expectancy are the main reasons for growth in Morocco’s ageing population.
Similar demographic trends are being witnessed in North African countries which reflect improvement in living standards, nutrition, coverage of health care and public health. However, the demographic transition is posing serious economic, societal and health challenges.
Dr Khaled Yassin predicts that the demographic transition is going to have a tremendous and far-reaching impact on the demand and practice of physical therapy in Morocco. “Moroccans are living longer; therefore, the number of patients with musculoskeletal disorders, neurological conditions and chronic diseases is going to increase tremendously. This is going to place extra demands for physical therapy”, Said Dr Yassin.
IMPACT OF AGEING ON THE MUSCULOSKELETAL AND NERVOUS SYSTEMS
Musculoskeletal disorders are most prevalent in the older segments of the population. Dr Yassin explained that ageing takes its toll on the musculoskeletal system. In older ages, the bone becomes more fragile, the cartilages lose resilience, ligaments become less elastic and muscles become weaker and these are all strong risk factors for arthropathies and fractures. Osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis are more prevalent in old ages.
Likewise, the nervous system is affected as well by the ageing process. Ageing is known to be associated with reduction in brain’s blood supply, loss of nerve cells from the brain and spinal cord, slower neurotransmission, impaired clearance of waste products, increased formation of plaques and tangles and deposition of lipofuscin in the nerve tissue. “All these pathophysiologic changes make older persons at higher risk to neurological diseases such as neuropathy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, myopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral stroke, myasthenia gravis and muscular dystrophy”, Said Dr Yassin.
“Common systemic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer are known to be more prevalent in old ages, which may have serious musculoskeletal and nervous complications”, add Dr Yassin.
WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN MOROCCO?
The demand for physical therapy and rehabilitation services of this age group will increase tremendously in Morocco and will continue to be an area of significant growth. More and more physical therapists will be required to ensure minimal access to these services in the country that suffers already severe shortage of physical therapists.
How many physical therapists are required to respond to the expected growth in demand for services? According to Dr Yassin, the supply of physical therapists in Morocco is extremely low. The registered physical therapists in the country are less than one thousand supposedly serving a population of 33 million inhabitants, this gives rise to a ratio of 0.3 per 10000 population. This ratio is 35 times lower than the ratio in the United States for example.
Official statistics of the Department of Labor and Statistics indicate that there are 225 thousand physical therapists (6.4 per 10000 population) and approximately 100 000 physical therapy assistants (3.1 per 10000 population) in the United States in 2014. The total number of physical therapy practitioners in the US is 350 times higher than Morocco, while the population is only 10 times bigger. Morocco will need several thousands of new physical therapists in the next 10 years to guarantee basic rehabilitation services to the population.
Since physical therapists are expected to see older people, they will need to be knowledgeable and skilled in their management. The most effective way to achieve this is the incorporation of a geriatric rehabilitation in the undergraduate curriculum of physical therapy. The College of Health Sciences envisages also to include geriatric rehabilitation among its specialization tracks that will be offered starting from 2021.
The goal is not only to improve knowledge and skills in this important domain, but to also to emphasis proactive approaches towards prevention of impairment and disability, promotion of active lifestyle and multi-disciplinary management of geriatric conditions.
|
COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCESAuthorized by the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Professional Training (Authorization No. 434/2015)
Member of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) Partner of the City University of New York (CUNY) 14, Boulevard de Paris, 20000 Casablanca, Morocco Tel.: 0522475775 | Fax: 0522 475778 | Email: info@esss.ac.ma |